Tuesday May 7, 2024
Local Connection
Weather
Traffic
@LouisvilleDispatch
@LouisvilleDisp
Subscribe
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer today joined SummerWorks staff, participants, employers, and supporters at the Heine Bros. headquarters in west Louisville to celebrate the 2019 SummerWorks season, which saw nearly 7,000 youth, a new record, employed throughout the city.
“SummerWorks is a critical step in building and supporting our pipeline of talented workers,” Mayor Fischer said. “The skills learned and relationships developed during a summer job carry over into the new school year and help set young people on a path to career success.”
This season of SummerWorks saw an increase in first-time employers, including Heine Brothers’ Coffee, Carbide Industries, GlowTouch Technologies, Crowne Plaza, Masonic Homes, Rev-a-Shelf, and the U.S. Census Bureau. Many established SummerWorks employers also increased their participation in 2019, including GE Appliances, which hired 29 youth this season.
GE Appliances SummerWorks student Zaina Katembo gained confidence in the business place during her experience and hopes to have a future with the global company.
“When I started work, I was very nervous,” said Katembo, 19, senior at Moore High School who moved to the U.S. from Tanzania in 2016, “but my co-workers and supervisors made me feel very welcomed and at home. I really appreciated this opportunity and would like to work for GE Appliances after I graduate.”
SummerWorks also expanded its partnership with the Academies of Louisville at JCPS, exceeding its goal of placing at least 200 Academies students in summer jobs that aligned with their career pathway.
During the celebration, the Mayor cited a newly released study, which was commissioned by KentuckianaWorks and conducted by the Kentucky Center for Statistics, that measured the long-term impact of SummerWorks on youth. The study found a variety of positive outcomes associated with SummerWorks, including higher graduation and employment rates.
“The data we’re seeing today reinforces our belief that a summer job experience can have a lasting positive impact on a young person’s life,” the Mayor said. “We must continue investing in SummerWorks in order to make sure all young people in our community, regardless of the barriers they may be facing, have a chance to benefit from this kind of experience.”
To learn more about SummerWorks and how to get involved, either as a participant, employer, or supporter, visit www.summerworks.org.
Thousands of cyclists, paddlers and walkers will be in motion at the Mayor’s Subway Fresh Fit Hike, Bike & Paddle Monday, September 2 as it returns for a 15th consecutive Labor Day at Waterfront Park.
“One of our goals is to make Louisville a healthier city, and one way to do that is to ensure we are a more active and accessible city for people of all ages,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “I’m excited to join thousands of residents from across Louisville for this beloved annual tradition.”
Subway Restaurants is again the title sponsor of Hike, Bike & Paddle, with presenting sponsors, Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated, Norton Healthcare and Neil Huffman Subaru. Academy Sports + Outdoors is a contributing sponsor.
“Subway Restaurants is proud to again be the title sponsor of the Mayor’s SUBWAY Fresh Fit Hike, Bike & Paddle, celebrating its 15th year. The events happening today give people an opportunity to be outside in the fresh air and lead healthy, active lifestyles,” said Umang Patel, Louisville SUBWAY Board Chair.
“Coca-Cola Consolidated is passionate about serving the Louisville community,” said Brian Outland, Vice President of Retail Sales at Coke Consolidated. “That’s why it’s an honor to support wonderful events like the Hike, Bike, and Paddle, that bring so many people together in the community for family fun during the holiday weekend.”
Norton Healthcare is pleased to once again sponsor the Mayor’s Hike, Bike & Paddle. “As a nationally-recognized healthiest employer, we are committed to providing a culture of health and wellness within our organization and throughout the community,” said Russell F. Cox, president and chief executive officer, Norton Healthcare. “We encourage everyone to live a healthy, active lifestyle and to participate in this fun event.”
“Neil Huffman Subaru is proud to again be a partner with Mayor Greg Fischer and the Office of Special Events for the Memorial Day edition of the Hike, Bike and Paddle,” said Dow Huffman, Managing Partner, Neil Huffman Auto Group. “Throughout the Neil Huffman Auto Group’s 50-year history, community involvement has been one of our core values and we salute this signature healthy city initiative and applaud the thousands of members of our community who participate each year.”
For hikers, this year features three routes, including a 5K route, that will all travel along Waterfront Park to the Big Four Bridge, all ending back at the Great Lawn. All routes are dog friendly, except for the route across the Big Four Bridge. The dog friendly route will take hikers with animals on a path leading to the Louisville Community Boathouse and back to the Great Lawn. All dogs must be leashed, and their owners must pick up waste during the walk. For those needing a shortened route, a third route will travel along Waterfront Park and circle back at the Big Four Bridge. All routes are wheelchair and stroller accessible.
For cyclists, this year’s 13.5-mile route will start near the Flock of Finns on Witherspoon Street and include travel through the Beecher Terrace redevelopment and parts of Smoketown and Shelby Park neighborhoods, past the Logan Street Market and Paristown developments, past the Louisville City FC’s under-construction stadium, and more. Cyclists who do not wish to do the entire course may turn around at any point after the majority of participants have passed.
All of the cycling and walking routes will be marked with signage and will have water stops at the halfway points to refill water bottles. The Louisville Bicycle Club and Scheller’s Fitness and Cycle are providing “bike captains” to help cyclists obey the rules of the road.
“Bike doctors” will be stationed in Waterfront Park before the ride and along the route to assist cyclists with any equipment problems. Louisville Metro Police will provide traffic assistance at key intersections, and the Louisville Metro EMS bicycle team will patrol the route. All cyclists are asked to remain behind the lead Police vehicles.
The paddling activity will begin at the Harbor Lawn in Waterfront Park and the route will be about 5 miles along Ohio River. At 10 a.m., paddlers will go through the McAlpine locks to New Albany. TARC will have free shuttle for the return trip to Waterfront Park.
Paddlers can enter from the University of Louisville Rowing dock located at the east end of Waterfront Park near the Community Boat House and will proceed downstream to the Harbor Lawn to await the start of the event. Free parking is available at this location. Volunteers will be on-site to assist paddlers at both locations.
Back by popular demand again this year, the Louisville Kayak Company will be offering kayak rental services at the event. You can reserve your kayak at the event or before you go by visiting here.
Police and safety boats will be nearby during the paddling activity, and participants can get assistance if needed in launching their canoe or kayak. Safe paddling instruction and demonstrations will take place in the harbor area of the Great Lawn.
More than 50 vendors and information booths will open at 8:30 a.m. at Waterfront Park. Yoga, Tai Chi, Zumba and Pickleball demonstrations will be offered starting at 8 a.m., along with group participation.
2,500 free t-shirts will be available for those arriving early and completing a brief survey. Thanks to sponsor support, this year’s t-shirt is an upgraded performance sport material.
Subway will be handing out free cash gift cards to be used at any Subway location, while supplies last. The Brain Injury Association will distribute 500 helmets to riders who don’t have one. Neil Huffman Subaru will be giving away a free bicycle and kayak at the event. Participants are encouraged to be “green” and bring their own water bottles, which they will be able to fill at Waterfront Park and at various water stations along the routes, as part of Louisville Water’s Pure Tap To Go.
This is the 15th year for the Hike, Bike & Paddle events, which are held each Memorial Day and Labor Day. The events are part of the city’s Healthy Hometown Movement, created to encourage Louisville residents to be more active and make healthier lifestyle choices.
To view interactive route maps, a full schedule and for more information, visit here. RSVP on the Hike, Bike and Paddle Facebook event page. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram @AroundLou!
Mayor Greg Fischer today joined representatives from Jefferson County Public Schools, Louisville Urban League, community organizations and local youth to kick off Louisville’s participation in National Youth Violence Prevention Week, a week-long initiative to raise violence prevention awareness and strategies for youth, parents, teachers, school personnel and community members to prevent youth violence before it happens.
“We owe it to our youth to do all we can as a community to keep them, their families and our neighborhoods safe, because witnessing violent crime, worrying about violent crime or being part of a violent crime should never be normal for any child,” Mayor Fischer said. “This week shows the important role young people can have, and want to have, in making their communities safer.”
From April 8 to April 12, nearly 100 activities, trainings, art projects and anti-violence campaigns will be held by Louisville schools and other youth-serving organizations throughout the community. This year’s theme is “Be A Superhero: Activate your Superpowers.”
The week is a partnership among Mayor Fischer’s Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, Jefferson County Public Schools, Cities United, Brown-Forman, Community Foundation of Louisville, Metro United Way, Peace Education, Centerstone, Muhammad Ali Center, Center for Women and Families, Louisville Metro Police and other groups, and part of a national initiative organized by Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), an initiative of Newtown, Connecticut-based group Sandy Hook Promise.
“Our students are taking innovative steps to ensure a positive culture and climate in our schools, not just this week but throughout the year,” said Dr. Marty Pollio, superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools. “From developing campaigns to building strategies to peacefully resolve issues, our school communities are coming together to lead by example. Safety is our highest priority and the efforts underway right now highlight our commitment to protecting students.”
According to SAVE, 60 percent of American children are exposed to violence, crime or abuse in their homes, schools or communities.
National Youth Violence Prevention Week is just one of the efforts coordinated by the Office of Safe and Health Neighborhoods, created by Mayor Fischer in 2013 and charged with helping create a city of safe neighborhoods, where everyone is supported, free of violence, and prepared for lifelong success.
The Mayor said he was “proud of the work the city has done to promote public safety and violence in Louisville.”
As part of a comprehensive strategy that ranges from prevention, to enforcement to reentry, the city has reduced homicides by 30 percent.
Through the city’s violence interruption programs, 212 gunshot victims have been assisted since its creation. In January of 2019 alone, more than 200 hours were spent engaging patients in the University of Louisville Emergency Room, plus hundreds of hours in the Russell, Portland and Shawnee neighborhoods engaging individuals and families at risk of being impacted by gun violence.
The city’s Pivot to Peace program has reduced injury recidivism among 95 percent of its participants. The Community Response team has connected more than 300 individuals and families to trauma-related services within 48 hours of an incident taking place.
The Mayor highlighted the success of the Reimage program, a collaboration between the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods and KentuckianaWorks. More than 500 young people have enrolled in the program that helps to break the cycle of crime and violence by connecting young people to training, jobs and education.
Reimage is actively recruiting young people right now for training that can quickly set them on a career path in key fields such as IT, manufacturing, construction and youth development. Those wanting to participate in the Reimage program can find more information here.
“This will be the second consecutive year that Louisville has participated in this national effort. It’s an opportunity to lift up the powerful work happening locally led by our brilliant youth, and to intentionally engage them as architects to solutions for violence” said Rashaad Abdur-Rahman, Director of Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods.
Throughout the week, JCPS students will be:
- Engaging in random acts of kindness;
- Learning lessons centered around conflict resolution;
- Holding compliment days where students will say nice things and give praise to peers;
- Learning about three steps to violence prevention – look for warning signs, act immediately to prevent a violent incident, say something to a trusted adult;
- Holding awareness walks to encourage students to resolve issues without violence.
Participants are encouraged to use the social media hashtags #LouYVPW and #NYVPW.
Photo: Kentucky Cabinet For Economic Development
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer today joined community leaders, investors and Louisville Metro Government representatives to champion Opportunity Zones as a new tool to help revitalize Louisville neighborhoods. Additionally, the Mayor released the city’s Opportunity Zones Prospectus, a holistic document that showcases Louisville’s assets and will be shared with investors locally and across the country.
“Opportunity Zones are a new avenue for us to attract investment to areas of our city that already have momentum and could see tremendous growth and opportunity with additional capital investment,” said the Mayor. “We want responsible development and projects that benefit our residents by providing investment without displacement, which is why we’re working closely with community stakeholders, state, and federal government partners to ensure we are best positioned to put private dollars to work.”
Opportunity Zones are a new community development program established by Congress in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. This program encourages long-term investment in low-income urban and rural communities nationwide by providing a tax incentive for investors to re-invest their unrealized capital gains into Opportunity Funds that are dedicated to investing in Opportunity Zones. In Louisville, 19 census tracts are designated as Opportunity Zones.
Transformation is currently underway in the city’s Opportunity Zones. One of the first Louisville investors to take advantage of the recently enacted Opportunity Zone legislation is The Marian Group through its spin-off and expansion of Blacksmith Iron Works, a fabrication and custom metal solutions business that recently moved into a 20,000 square-foot facility at 3100 Vermont Ave. in the Russell neighborhood. The Blacksmith Iron Works expansion will represent almost $750,000 of total investment in Russell and will include at least 16 employees by 2019.
“We are excited about this expansion for Blacksmith Iron Works and to be moving to Russell,” said Jake Brown, President of Blacksmith Iron Works and a Principal with Louisville-based developer, The Marian Group. “To be one of the first Opportunity Zone investments in Louisville just makes it better.”
Additional community partners that are investing in Opportunity Zones include OneWest, a nonprofit community development organization that recently purchased its first property on 18th Street with plans to redevelop it as a restaurant or retail space, and the Louisville Urban League with its $35 million Track on Ali project.
The team at Louisville Forward, the city’s community and economic development agency, is ready to work with businesses and investors to maximize Louisville’s potential for its Opportunity Zones by providing concierge project management, offering incentives for projects in CDBG-eligible census tracts, and working to accelerate the permitting process.
The city is also working to identify the needs of investors, developers and business owners, and then connect them with each other dependent on resources that will support each project. To be listed in the city’s database, complete the form found at https://louisvilleky.wufoo.com/forms/kzd6v3x13ol8kc/
To assist business owners and investors with identifying Opportunity Zones, the city created an interactive map to show exact addresses and boundaries of Louisville’s designated Opportunity Zones. To search Louisville-specific addresses, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-forward/opportunity-zones-louisville
The Louisville, Kentucky Metro Government was recognized as the 2018 Green Leadership City, a distinction awarded by the Propane Education & Research Council, a Washington, D.C.-based national non-profit organization. The award recognizes the city for its adoption of clean, propane-powered mowers, among other environmentally-friendly programs that support the city’s highly-regarded sustainability plan.
Mayor Greg Fischer accepted a $5,000 donation from PERC at a celebration event at Sun Valley Park with city officials and Parks & Recreation Department employees, who operate the propane mowers regularly.
“The Green Leadership City Award highlights public agencies demonstrating a commitment to environmentally-friendly and sustainable practices, which the city of Louisville has shown by adding propane mowers to its municipal equipment fleet,” said Jeremy Wishart, director of off-road business development for PERC. “Louisville has set an incredible example for the rest of the region of what a municipality can accomplish when it decides that its environmental impact matters and takes necessary steps to reduce its carbon footprint.”
Earlier this year, Louisville added 11 propane mowers to its Metro Fleet Division, with plans to continue transitioning to propane equipment as the city’s 68 remaining gasoline mowers wear out. Compared to gasoline mowers, using propane reduces greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (NOx), and sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions, which contributes to a healthier local environment.
According to the city, it will also cost approximately 25 percent less to operate a propane mower over the life of the unit because of the lower cost of propane.
“Propane mowers help us improve upon our long-term sustainability goals as a city while also being prudent with the taxpayer’s money,” said Greg Fischer, Louisville mayor. “Anytime we can make operational changes that improve the community’s quality of life while saving on costs is a win-win.”
The propane mowers are used by five departments that manage grass growth on city properties as well as vacant and abandoned private properties, including the Louisville Zoo, the Vacant Lots Division of Codes & Regulations, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and the Metro Facilities Division.
Because of their lower emissions profile, propane mowers allow city crews to continue mowing on Air Quality Alert Days, when mowing with both commercial and residential gasoline equipment is discouraged to avoid adding to ground-level pollution.
To learn more about propane mowers, visit propane.com/commercial-landscape.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer has appointed two new members to the Louisville Metro Board of Health. Both terms run to July 31, 2021.
Heidi Margulis is the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for Humana. In that capacity she guides the company’s community engagement and corporate social responsibility initiatives and has administrative oversight of the Humana Foundation. She also serves on the executive committee of the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board and on the Louisville Promise Scholarship Board. Ms. Margulis has also served on the Advisory Committee on Regulatory Reform and on the Advisory Panel on Medicare Education for two U.S. Health and Human Services Secretaries.
Dr. Susie J. Riley is a dentist in private practice. She is the owner of Smile Center Professionals, Cosmetic and Family Dentistry. She also serves on the Kentucky Medicaid Advisory Committee, is past president of the Kentucky Dental Society and has served as the dental representative on the Passport Health Plan Partnership Council. Dr. Riley is a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves Dental Corp and continues to participate in dental missions to such underserved countries as Haiti, Liberia and Ghana.
Ms. Margulis and Dr. Riley replace Connie Sorrel and Dr. Sherry Babbage. Mayor Fischer also reappointed Karen Cost, Margaret Handmaker and Kate Probst to the Board of Health. Their terms will run to July 31, 2021.
The Louisville Metro Board of Health acts as an independent voice to promote and protect equitable physical, mental, and environmental health in the Louisville community through advocacy, education, regulation, and collaboration with public and private entities.
Mayor Greg Fischer and Louisville Parks Foundation CEO, Brooke Pardue were joined by Councilman Bill Hollander and the local skateboarding community to unveil the Breslin Park Skate Spot, the latest public park to receive added amenities funded by the Louisville Parks Foundation.
The $95,000 skate spot, built and designed by Hunger Skateparks, of Bloomington, IN, is the first of its kind in the region. Unlike larger skate parks, the skate-able art sculpture is designed for all levels, making it appropriate for beginners and experts alike. This completes the first phase of the Foundation’s Breslin Park 2.0 Project, which includes a state-of-the-art shade structure to follow.
“Many people aren’t aware of this, but Breslin Park was home to Louisville’s original skatepark.” Said Pardue, “There is a rich history of skating in this park and I have been overwhelmed with the positive response I have received from generations of street skaters in our community. I’m glad we listened and were able to provide them with something we can all feel good about.”
“This new skate spot, in conjunction with the Louisville Extreme Park, is going to put Louisville on the map for people looking for a quality skate experience.” Said Noah Hulsman, owner of Home Skateshop. “And we are committed to keeping Breslin Park clean and safe for all park users.”
Funding for the project is the result of a partnership between the Louisville Parks Foundation, a non-profit that supports Louisville Parks and Recreation, Home Skateshop, Councilman Bill Hollander, Grind Burgers, Spinelli’s Pizza, Vegan Jerky Company, and individual donors.